This invention relates generally to a fire protection sprinkler system, and more particularly concerns a sprinkler system which is retrofit into an existing building without the necessity of major renovation.
Over the past several years many states and municipalities have passed ordinances requiring the installation of fire protection sprinkler systems in high rate of occupancy buildings such as hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings. Because such buildings have high rates of occupancy, it is important to the owners of such buildings that the installation of a retrofit sprinkler system not interfere with the continuing occupancy of the building during the installation.
In the past, sprinkler systems have been retrofit into buildings by simply removing portions of walls and ceilings and installing the necessary piping, sprinkler heads, wires, detectors, and alarms in the walls and ceilings and then replacing the walls and ceilings. Such work entails a substantial amount of dust, dirt, and noise thereby often rendering the portions of the building being retrofit uninhabitable during the retrofit process.
In order to alleviate the problems of such retrofit installation, sprinkler systems have been installed within cover-up boxes running along the corner of a hallway between the wall and ceiling. Such a procedure, while less expensive and disruptive than removal of walls and ceilings for access, still has required a substantial amount of construction work and disruption. Particularly, such cover-up boxes generally require that the piping for the sprinkler system first be installed by means of hangers attached to the ceiling of the hallway. Once the pipes and associated sprinkler heads, wires, detectors, and alarms have been installed from the ceiling hangers, then carpenters are required to install nailer strips along the ceiling and along the wall to provide support for the cover-up box which generally must be comprised of wooden boards or panels to insure nailability and a certain degree of integrity. The necessity of using wooden boards or panels along with the accompanying skilled carpentry labor obviously results in a substantial cost in installing the cover-up boxes for concealing the sprinkler system.